


Of Birthday Parties and Bourbon

by Strawmari



Series: Find Your Beach [2]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Birthday Party, Camping, F/M, Fluff, Mild Smut, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:33:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21960988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawmari/pseuds/Strawmari
Summary: One week after the beach incident, Beth receives an invitation to Marcus's birthday party.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Series: Find Your Beach [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579987
Comments: 11
Kudos: 102





	Of Birthday Parties and Bourbon

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to turn this into a series. It will be drabbles on BTS pics/spoilers/etc that will never happen on the show aka.. a reason to write more Brio/ family fluff.
> 
> Also wanted to thank everyone for the kudos and comments on Find your Beach, I loved reading them.
> 
> And uh, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I don't own any character/show and any similarities to other ffs are coincidental.

A week had passed since the bombshell was dropped on the girls. They were working together again, and the three shots to his chest had been seemingly forgotten. 

They were at a loss for words. Ruby asked if it was guilt, it was more than that. It was the feeling that she got when he was near, and how she felt seeing Marcus at the park without him. If she asked her past self if she would've missed him, she'd say no, but a lot has changed since he first showed up in her kitchen.

_"Why don't you call your lady friends over so we can have...a little talk"._

Ruby and Annie couldn't possibly understand what she had gone through. They didn't have one on one meetings with him in the park, they didn't drink with him at the bar and they weren't tangled up under the sheets. He kept that just for Beth.

So, Beth got a little disappointed when Rio only stopped by the store to pick up his cut. She thought they turned over a new leaf at the beach, it had to have meant something, right?. 

-

She reached inside her nightstand drawer, finding the purple toy she bought a couple weeks ago, sliding her hands underneath her blankets.

The vibrator hummed against her as she recalled his actions from earlier in the day. 

_Beth was in the process of showing him how to work the printing press. If he wanted a cut, he'd have to do part of the work, they weren't going to do it all for him._

_She showed him how to put the money template in the slot, how to raise up the platform and then all they had to do was watch the windmill work. The machine was fast, it could print thousands of dollars in a day._

_Rio wasn't as patient as he liked to let on. His hands started massaging her shoulders and she tilted her head to the side, it shouldn't have felt that good. He took that as an invitation to suck on her neck and Beth's hand slipped off the lever._

The buzzing filled the room as she moved it over her clit. "Oh," she moaned, bringing her hand up to her breast. She brushed her thumb over her nipple, imagining that it was Rio wasn't the same as him being there.

_Beth collected herself enough to raise up her dress, bending over the small space the press didn't occupy. "Whatchu need, ma?"._

_"You". It was a terrible idea, one that the girls had scolded her on when she got back from the beach. She didn't even tell them, Annie had a sixth sense for those things. Rio's hand went to her thigh, pulling her back against him and she was having bar flashbacks._

_The printing press dinged when it ran out of paper, and unfortunately for Beth, Rio took that as a sign their frolic was over. "See ya tomorrow"._

_Beth turned around to see his retreating form. "You don't have to…yeah, tomorrow". She leaned against the small space her forearms had just occupied, letting out a sigh, what were they doing?_

She brought her fingers over to circle her clit, dropping the vibrator from her hand. Her lips parted, letting "oh god…Rio!" slip out when the wave hit.

Beth shot up in her bed, hearing the kitchen door close. Dean was at his mom's with the kids and she's pretty sure the girls would've made themselves known. She pulled on her robe and grabbed the gun from her purse, slowly stepping out of her bedroom. Her hair was disheveled, the floor was cold on her feet, the chill of Detroit's night slipping through the open windows.

No one was there, but the bottle of bourbon on the kitchen counter let her know who it was, Rio. She didn't have time to wonder if he heard, or worse seen what she was doing, because there was an envelope under the bottle. It was addressed to Elizabeth, in his messy scrawl. Inside was an invitation to Marcus's birthday party, a camping trip over the weekend.

-

"Did you guys get an invite to Marcus's birthday?" Beth asked, flipping the welcome sign to read open. 

"Uh..no, is it his birthday?". Annie shrugged, she hadn't gotten an invitation either. He was turning six if the balloon on the front was any indication, it made sense he'd want Jane to go. Ruby thought maybe he had his fun and was ready to get rid of his loose ends, the loose end being Beth.

"He could've at the lake, but he didn't" Beth countered.

"That's cause you had something he wanted". Annie wiggled her eyebrows.

-

She decided to listen to her gut, tossing everything Ruby and Annie said out the window. Jane was Marcus's friend, that's why she was invited, who was she to deny them that? Since the party was on Saturday, Beth had to switch days with Dean, which went over as smoothly as anyone could imagine. 

_"It's a birthday party for one of Jane's friends" Beth cryptically explained, thankful it was over the phone and not in person._

_"I can handle a party, I've taken Kenny to tons"._

_It wasn't that, Beth sighed. "It's for one of the new parents, you haven't gone to the PTA meetings recently"._

_"Then I'll meet new people. What is going on Bethie? You've been distant, and now..now you have secret birthday parties, is it him?"._

_She was silent and he clocked it, of course he had. "It is, isn't it? Janie said your friend was back, I thought..I thought you were over it"._

_"I was...I am, it's for Jane"._

_Dean let out a sound of annoyance, eventually giving in because he was trying to be a better person._

_-_

Beth loaded the kids into the van. Kenny was messing with the radio, Emma and Danny were fighting over who got the iPad next, and Jane was playing with a ribbon on the present she picked out.

_"Marcus likes legos" she said, dragging Beth to that section of toys. They had Lego animals, lego buildings, even legos for superheroes. It reminded her of their conversation in front of her house._

_"That's what I am? Work?"._

_"Pretty much, yeah"._

_It was the beginning of the end for them. She shot him, he rose from the dead, then one day at the beach had them working together again. They were magnets, no matter how much she tried to get away from him, he just kept pulling her back. Then again, maybe she liked that he refused to let her leave._

_"I think Rio said he had the dinosaur one, how about Batman?"._

_Jane shook her head. "He likes spiderman"._

_Right, they all had their preferences. She let Jane dig further back on the shelf until she found what she wanted to get him._

"Danny, share with your sister" Beth said, turning the radio back to kids tunes, she couldn't take anymore of the rock music Kenny had playing.

-

Beth pulled into the Horseshoe Lake campgrounds, looking out her window for the reserved section A that was noted on the invitation. Jane was getting antsy, she couldn't wait to see her friend again. Beth on the other hand was nervous.

She didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't a full blown family gathering. There were two grills going, kids running around, and adults gathering at the picnic tables. Beth had half a mind to turn around and fake a cold, then a woman waved for her to turn into an open parking spot and she was stuck. 

Her kids weren't shy, they rushed out of the van as soon as Beth stepped out, immediately mingling with people they hadn't met before. Jane was there for one reason only, Marcus, so she stayed glued to Beth's side. She probably figured Beth would find Rio and that's where his son would be, she was smart like her mother.

A couple older women whispered from their bench as she walked by, she had never felt this out of place and she had been to sketchy drug neighborhoods. Beth saw Rio in the distance and tried her best to weave through the crowd to get to him, only to be pulled to the side by Rhea.

"Beth? Don't get me wrong it's great you're here, but who invited you?".

One, it didn't cross her mind that Marcus's mom would be there, that should've been obvious and two, did that mean Rio invited her without clearing it with the other host? She really should have turned back around.

"Uh.. Rio did".

Rhea looked at Beth and then to Rio, "huh, and you've only talked a few times?".

Her lies were unraveling right before her very eyes. It had been believable when they first spoke, Rhea wouldn't have known any different, unless of course Marcus tattled just as much as Jane.

"No, he's mommy's friend. He comes over to our house all the time" Jane provided, swinging the gift at her side. 

Speaking of tattling. Beth let out an awkward laugh as Rhea tried to connect the dots. "We're just dropping off a gift, uh..it was nice to see you again".

-

They made their way to where Rio was setting up a dinosaur piñata; Marcus was telling him it needed to higher because he was a big boy now.

"Marcus!". Jane ran toward him, she made it seem like she didn't just see him a week ago.

"Daddy, can I go?".

"Yea, Pop". Rio finished hanging up the piñata and started moving the gifts to the larger picnic table. Beth grabbed a couple to help out, making her presence known.

"Your ex seemed surprised I got an invite, you wouldn't know anything about that, right?".

"Nah". Rio smirked, he knew. She waited, hoping he would tell her what he found so amusing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kenny leading a basketball game, they were in the process of picking teams. It warmed her heart seeing him trying to make new friends. "Rhea gave me two invites, only needed you".

 _Only needed you,_ what the hell did that mean.

"We're going to leave, I just..I wanted to drop off Jane's gift, I hope he likes spiderman".

"He does". Rio searched her face, probably trying to figure out why she was leaving all of a sudden. Beth didn't know either, she just felt like Rhea wasn't happy to see her and now that she knew about the lie, she probably didn't want to see her again.

Rio reached out to grab her hand, pulling her attention back to him. She didn't even make it two steps from her previous spot. "Come'er". 

Beth let him lead the way to where tents and campers were parked. He stopped in front of three tents that were further back than the rest. "Kids and..".

His words dropped off, but Beth got it loud and clear. He set up tents for them already, all of it was preplanned. There was no way she could leave now. Ever since he rose from the dead, Beth had apologized a hundred times over, but all they talked about after the fact was crime. How to wash their cash without big box retailers and the dealership, how to maximize their profits and should they get back into pills, it was never about what they meant to each other. Then again, that shouldn't have been a surprise, they were terrible at communicating.

That was the side of Rio she wanted the girls see. The one who was content with being a father and not a crime boss for a couple hours, the one who still held her hand after they got to the location, so they would see that he wouldn't harm them.

"This one?" Beth asked, pointing to the larger of the three. Rio nodded, unzipping it so she could take a look inside. It looked just like the family camping trips they had taken with Dean, but it was a first with Rio. There was an air mattress, a couple thin blankets and a body pillow big enough for two people. "Leavin?".

She shook her head, maybe a couple more hours with his family wouldn't be terrible after all. They heard someone yell that it was gift opening time and Rio wasn't going to miss that.

-

The kids lined up to take turns at the piñata. Marcus was first, followed by his cousins and then the Boland kids. Beth was pretty sure they all threw it so Marcus could have multiple rounds. Rio lowered the dinosaur on the third attempt, putting it more in Marcus's reach, watching as the candy fell to the ground when it broke open.

"I did it daddy".

"Knew ya would, Pop". He ruffled Marcus's hair, telling him to grab more candy before his cousins took it all. Beth felt a smile spread across her face, deciding it would be best to turn her focus to her kids collecting candy in their shirts. Rhea started to pass out the roasting sticks for s'mores and told everyone to find a spot around the fire. "Beth, can you help?".

"Uh, yeah".

Beth looked up to meet Rio's eyes, he didn't seem worried, so she went. She was handed twenty sticks and walked alongside Rhea passing them to the different family members. She didn't know anyone, but felt their judgy stares with each step she took.

They made their way to the logs, Rhea sat on the left side of Marcus, Rio had spread out his jacket to save Beth a spot. Her kids were already off to her side, toasting their marshmallows. Rhea watched as Rio laid his jacket over Beth's legs, just in case she got cold. She had a tendency to dress her kids comfortable, and walk out of the house with the thinnest blouse possible, it wasn't a smart idea with the seasons changing. 

"Mom, I want another one" Kenny said, having finished up his s'more. She smiled, passing her untoasted marshmallow over to him. Beth pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of her four kids enjoying themselves, before turning the camera over to Rio, pausing as she did so. 

"Ey lil man, smile". Marcus turned around and gave a toothless grin, Rhea photobombed in the background, giving her son some bunny ears. "Aight, bedtime".

Marcus whined, turning to his mom trying to get a different answer, only to get the same one. Everyone started heading toward their tents, campers and a few pushing down the backseats of their cars. Rhea wanted to talk to Rio, so he told her to go ahead and get everyone settled.

"You like her, don't you?".

"Dunno whatcha talkin bout".

She rolled her eyes, mumbling something along the lines of, "seven years later and you still can't lie".

-

The girls were in one tent, which they loved, cheering that Kenny couldn't take up all the space like he usually did. The boys were in the second tent, Marcus and Danny would likely regret that choice in the morning. Beth was with Rio, sitting as far away as the tent would allow. "What did Rhea want?".

"Nothin". His eyes looked her over, taking a second glance at her chest. 

"Thanks for the bourbon, I'm going to need it when Dean takes the kids next week". 

Rio nodded. Even though he might've heard her fantasising about him, she did want to let him know that she appreciated the gift and just hoped he had forgotten about the rest. They were business partners first and she wasn't going to make the mistake of being on his bad side again.

-

Beth woke up in Rio's arms, pressed against his chest. She didn't remember falling asleep, just that she had been as far away as the mattress allowed. He was still asleep, seeing him so vulnerable wasn't something she was accustomed to.

"Mama, gotta limit the starin".

She tore her eyes away from his face, looking at the side of the tent instead, it wasn't like she could get away with his current hold. "I wasn't".

Rio bit back a smile, brushing her hair from her face the best he could. "Need'ta see that press again, tomorrow work for you?".

"Yeah, I have to drop the kids off, how about eight?".

"Cool. Then we'll see if I can getcha screamin my name like the other day".

Beth flushed, he had heard her, and she knew he would succeed at it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how long this will be, but I can't wait to hear your thoughts!! ❤


End file.
